The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) has called in the big guns to help with the flood clean up with seven tracked loaders deployed in the Central Coast, Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley and Hunter regions.
Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery, Steph Cooke, said the Bobcat-like equipment, originally purchased for bushfire mitigation works, will help RFS crews make short work of clearing debris.
“I’m so proud of our RFS members who have been providing critical support since day one of this flood event, including assisting with rescues, evacuations, sandbagging, pumping floodwater from inundated properties, and clearing out mud and debris where the multi-purpose tracked loaders have proven to be invaluable,” Cooke said.
“Each tracked loader is fitted with a bucket, slasher and mulcher which means they can be deployed in a variety of ways and enable our crews to clear debris and mud quicker than ever before.
“More than 600 RFS members, 70 trucks and six aircraft have assisted the NSW SES in the flood response and I can’t thank them enough for their ongoing efforts.”
Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said the announcement was a welcome one for many people in the region who have been impacted by the recent floods.
“Anything that assists with speeding up the clean-up and recovery process for Central Coast residents will be greatly appreciated,” he said.
“It is so important that flood victims are able to get their lives back to normal as quickly as possible after an event like this.”
RFS Acting Commissioner, Kyle Stewart, said the efforts of volunteers and staff over the past two weeks has shown the versatility of the RFS.
“Our members attend bush and grass fires, structure fires, motor vehicle accidents and as we see now, flood and storm damage, flood rescues and clean-up,” he said.
“We are proud to be working alongside other agencies including the NSW SES, Fire and Rescue NSW and NSW Police Force to protect our communities.
“No matter the emergency, the simple fact is that when the community needs help, the RFS will be there.”
Terry Collins